The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-19
A TRUE STORY.
A Game Of Euchre Interrupted in Har-
rodsburg In 1868.

A Game of Euchre Interrupted in Har'
rodsburg In 1868.
d. s. Bro,Ult IN Mercer Sayings and DoanJs
1t was when we were stationed at Har'
rodsburg, KY, in 1863 Our regiment, the
gallant Seventh Ohio, was pitted against
John Morgan and his followers, and we
were kept busy as nest OF wasps watching
Duke, Cluke and their chief, the Kentucky
Raider Every turnpike in the Bluegrass
region echoed the hoot beats of our we'll
trained horses. We rode through their
plantations like specters in the night, and
! many households in COOL old Bourbon
county were startled from Their beds at
early cock-crow by the noise and confusion
attendant upon the camping of whole
''critter company" in their orchard. The
| black people were our friends and always
willing to guide us to the exact house where
| Morgan was sleeping at that very minute,
sab. "Old Uncle Nose knows de rascal well,
an'you can't fool dis chile"
1t was always the old story, however,
Morgan had been there but was gone, and
we had our nights vigil for nothing.
Once we were quite sure of him i'll Lexing-
ton. He had come into the city in citizens
clothes, and was housed with a relative.
Two hundred of us rode into the towr at 2
D. M, and set about to hedge in this treat
skipper.
''It was two by the village clock
When we galloped into Lexington;
We heard the growing of the cock,
The barking OF the farmers dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog
That rises after the sun goes down"
We watched the night out, being re-
warded by the capture only of that portion
of the Morgan family that could not 'bear
arms;n and that same day the great raider
himself attacked detachment of our com
mand away in the southern part of the
State.
We camped next at Somerset, and Basil
Dukes pickets sang Dixie to us from the
opposite side of the Cumberland for several
days. Finally we crossed the river one night
when there was no moon, and captured his
outposts
The firing alarmed the camp, however,
and a wild chase to the foothills of the
mountains was the result Here the rebels
made determined stand, and finally chap
eroned us in a very vivid manner back
across the Cumberland This last crossing
of the stream was not made in as good
order as the one in the early morning. and
for several days subsequent our folks made
no move whatever to find Kentucky's great
lover of horseflesh.
Deserters and stragglers from his COM
mand were continually coming to us with
reports that the forces of their chivalrous
chieftain were fading away and that only n
handful of men were with him. We en-
countered this 'handful" in various parts Of
the State, and to us their numbers always
seemed to grow greater instead of less. His
raiders were always "goin home" and
comm back and it did seem to us as if
they all returned before we found them.
To tell just how a social game WIS inter
rupted one night i'll Harrodsburg by two of
them "comin' back' unannounced is the OBJ
iect of this cover true tale" The writer, O
real Sergeant, but Brigadier General in
his mind sat playing euchre with the sister
of two of Morgan's flyers-the latter sup
posed at the time to be with their chief
some where in the mountainous portions of
the State Hand after hand the seductive
game had been playeI when the converse
ton turned upon the war and its terrible
consequences
Just think of it," said tho fair sister.
"Here you are to- night in my house, profess
ing the greatest friendship for me, and yet
the fateS may compel you to engage in NOR
tai combat with those dearer to me than
life.n
The Sergeant hoped the fates might al
ways hurl him against some other girls
brothers.
But you can't tell said the sister, whom
you are fighting, and you might kill both
my brothers before the week ends"
The Sergeant here glanced at the chever-
ons on his cavalry jacket and said if he did
kill them he hoped he would never know
'Or your regiment might capture my
brothers and hold them both prisoners of
war, right here in sight of their own house,
continued the girl.
The Sergeant here said that if the last
picture ever came to be a reality the sister
should see her brothers every night; and
that, if he could help it, they should never
be sent away to a military prison, SO help
him Moses, or words to that effect.
THAT settles it" said the deep, quiet voice
from behind the sitting-room door, and both
brothers stepped into the parlor, armed
booted and spurred, but smiling exceeding
ly ''childike and blandn-two handsome
and good-natured looking raiders as could
be found between the Potomac aud the
James.
For once in his life the Sergeant felt as il
his cheveronS indicated as mucl, If not more
than all the military rank he possessed. He
declared himself as having always been in
favor of that great factor which in due
time is rot only to be the salvation OF
individuals, but of nations as well; namely
arbitration. The big brothers did arbitrate
and TO such an extent that four-handed
game of euchre, n social luncn and the
firing of Jokes instead of pistols was the
consequence for the evening.
The next day the brothers were miles
away among the hills, and the Sergeant
was just across the street; where his regi-
ment was quartered in the grounds of the
old Harrodsburg Mineral Springs
Months afterward the Seventh Ohio met
Morgan IN battle at Cynthiana, captured
many of his command, driving the raiders
including the chief, into and across the
river Among the captured were the two
hrOfhp1.s and fhOnyh the SprpaQ MT did
what he could to prevent it, both of them
were sent away with the rest of the prison,
ers to Camp Chase, Ohio. Another UNI
romantic truth which we are obliged to
record, and which is out of the usual vein
of story writing, Is that tbe sister never
became the Sergeant's wife